compassion « Yellow Brick Road: Your Path to Heart & Health

Dear Former Me

By Debra Basham, on May 25, 2022

When I saw my primary on Monday she said I needed Zoloft or a therapist, maybe both. I had been overwhelmed with the stress of everything John has been going through, complicated mightily by the situation with Joel. For those new to YBR, Joel has been my co-author for over twenty years. He has developed […]

Being of Genuine Service

By Debra Basham, on December 3, 2021

Tuesday evening while still in the post-overnight-drive malaise, I tried to log on as Zoom host for our Dharma Path class. It said “username / password incorrect” so I tried again. Same thing. Then the foggy thinking took over and I questioned if the link was set up on one of the other accounts. I […]

DO What YOU Can

By Debra Basham, on February 28, 2021

“I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know: The ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve.” ~ Albert Schweitzer

Tapping with Scarlett Lewis of The Forgiveness Project during the World Tapping Summit, my heart opened deeply related to […]

Many Happy Returns

By Debra Basham, on January 30, 2021

“Whether we have happiness or not depends on the seeds in our consciousness. If our seeds of compassion, understanding, and love are strong, those qualities will be able to manifest in us. If the seeds of anger, hostility and sadness in us are strong, then we will experience much suffering. To understand someone, we […]

Compassion is Not a Luxury

By Debra Basham, on October 29, 2020

We live in a time when science is validating what humans have known throughout the ages: that compassion is not a luxury; it is a necessity for our well-being, resilience, and survival.

~ Roshi Joan Halifax

This morning I saw a headline “How Next Door Neighbors With Different Political Views Have Stayed Friends.” The photo […]

Make May Day a Mask Day

By Debra Basham, on May 1, 2020

Today is May Day. It is a day to hang flowers on the door of someone you love. In 1886, more than 300,000 workers walked off their jobs demanding 13,000 businesses honor an 8-hour work day on May Day.

We know the value of doing something that benefits another. And we value doing what […]

We Are What We Think

By Debra Basham, on March 18, 2020

It is surreal that I posted my previous blog just yesterday. I did say this self-selected social isolation may not last forever, it may just feel that way.

Actually, I don’t really mind the solitude. Last evening Barbara Brodsky asked our Dharma Path group to notice how very little is different about this from […]

Upekka

By Debra Basham, on November 3, 2018

You have heard it said to be careful what you pray for. This past Tuesday evening, as our Dharma “Path of Clear Light” class was coming to an end, I asked for specific instructions around the practice of Upekka. Upekka is the Buddhist practice of equanimity.

John Orr’s clarification of the Upekka practice, […]

Opinion Columnist

By Debra Basham, on December 23, 2016

I applied for the position of an “Opinion Columnist” in our local newspaper. A good friend/writer colleague had suggested I apply.

It might seem odd to those who might think a committed spiritual person may not have a lot of interest in the things of the world, but that is untrue. We care deeply about […]

Yellow Brick Road: Your Path to Heart & Health